Introduction:

Return to work courses exist for those on maternity/paternity leave but not for those Out of Program electively for other reasons. For those wishing to maintain clinical contact and knowledge the Paediatric UPDATES (pUPDATES) course provides that opportunity which is funded by Health Education England [1]. Paediatrics has faced many challenges in the last few years with new evolving conditions such as PIMS-TS, this has been a challenge to many clinicians with constantly developing guidelines, adapting the care as new information becomes available. Paediatric medicine is developing quickly and often time out of training results in lack of updated knowledge of these evolving guidelines. This course was developed to cover a communication scenario, journal club discussion, case discussion and an update on a new guideline.

Methods:

The two pilot sessions had 10 candidates across the two days. Feedback from these pilot sessions helped develop a training program and formally roll out the pUPDATES course in 2023. From the initial questionnaire it was decided the course suited being virtual as opposed to face to face as it made it easier for candidates to attend around other commitments. The course is self-directed in the morning and then virtually in the afternoon. HEE have funded 3 courses a year for paediatric trainees. Feedback is collected via survey after each course.

Results:

Eighty percent of those attending were out of training for parental leave. 50% had been out of training for 6-12 months and 50% were out of training for over 12 months. The main concerns of candidates were the updated guidelines, and de-skilling in procedures. The three most useful sessions were the communication scenario, journal club and guideline update. The best things about the course reported by candidates were the guidelines update, communication station, group discussions and the opportunity to use the morning to read through the supporting material and prepare at home.

Discussion:

There has been positive feedback from all the candidates who have attended the course. Specifically, the guideline update on the measles pandemic as a lot of doctors have no experience of measles in clinical practice. Multiple candidates suggested attending the course more than once. As a consequence of the positive feedback there has been funding on the back of this for an UPDATES course funded for adult trainees in the West Midlands, the paediatric simulation lead has supported and helped set up their pilot simulation day.

Ethics statement:

Authors confirm that all relevant ethical standards for research conduct and dissemination have been met. The submitting author confirms that relevant ethical approval was granted, if applicable.

References

1. Wade L, Mehta F, Keane M. Do trainees value remote access return to training courses? Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2022.